The Handsome Effect
by MandatoryFun
Summary: Rhys wasn't heartless, he saw the good in Jack… and the evil in Pandora. With a (hopefully) reformed AI Jack in his head, he entered the Vault of the Traveler with Fiona. They didn't expect for it to transport them to another galaxy however. Separated from Fiona, Rhys and Jack meet our favorite newly-resurrected SPECTRE. This should be fun. Slash, Post-TftB, during ME2
1. Chapter 1

**The Handsome Effect**

* * *

 **Summary** : Rhys wasn't heartless, he saw the good in Jack… and the evil in Pandora. With a (hopefully) reformed AI Jack in his head, he entered the Vault of the Traveler with Fiona. They didn't expect for it to transport them to another galaxy however. Separated from Fiona, Rhys and Jack meet our favorite newly-resurrected SPECTRE. This should be fun.

 **Note** : Right now I am unsure as to who I am going to pair Rhys and/or Jack with. Though I know many people play it so that Rhys has a thing for Sasha, I'm writing mine as bi with no stated feelings for Sasha. So! With that said, submit your suggestions for who Rhys gets with via reviews! I laid the groundwork for Jack x Rhys if you want that, but I could easily just make them really good friends. Jack also will be bi so suggest who he's going to take interest in.

There WILL be slash because I'll be using my Shepard, who I play as gay. Since there are no actual gay romance options in ME2, I'm unsure of where to go with that. If no one has a good idea, I'll figure something out. Regardless, you have all three of those characters you can suggest pairings for.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Of Course It Was The Vault**

* * *

"C'mon Rhysie, stop worrying about her! I mean, what, she's just, just dust in the wind! Like us, now that I think about it," Jack mumbled, walking alongside Rhys, still a hologram. Rhys sighed fondly, running a hand through his hair with a sigh.

"You know she's a bit more than a business partner. After all the shit we went through together, she's a good friend." Rhys said as he ducked behind another building.

Jack snorted, "O-ho-ho-ho, trust me Cupcake, I still remember that stunt you pulled when you blew up my gorgeous little space station and almost- almost! -killed me too. Glad you didn't by the way, I don't think I say that enough," Jack rambled a bit.

Rhys chuckled as he slinked his way up to what looked like a terminal in the building, "Well, did you at least have the good doctor give you a few hacking upgrades?" He asked sarcastically, still very much freaked out. This was not what he expected from a Vault- though to be fair, it was called the vault of the Traveler. So suddenly being transported into what seemed like another galaxy seems oddly appropriate.

"Upgrades?! Rhys baby, you doubting me? C'mon, you know I'm the hero, a little hacking job is nothing for me!" Jack chortled out with a menacing grin, "Plus for an AI, hacking is basically just finding and killing security programs, and well, hehe, we both know how good I am at killing things, eh Pumpkin?"

"Easy or not, we need info. And maybe some way to translate the variety of languages? Somehow everyone knows what the other people are saying," Rhys pointed out, which made Jack pause and look around at the various alien species interacting.

In particular, a holographic device that appeared over people's arm caught his eye, "Hm, seems they have something like ECHO eyes, just less awesome. Makes sense, its non-Hyperion corporate scum," Jack joked causing Rhys to laugh.

To anyone who had seen the two during the space station incident, they'd think Rhys was insane. After all, Jack had been a megalomaniac, selfish, and in general a deranged psycho who was trying to kill Rhys. Well, yeah, they'd be right. Thing was, he hadn't crushed the ECHO eye when he had removed it. He had been listening to Jack and well… He was everything Rhys dreamed he would be, ruthless and powerful yes. Yet he had found a vulnerability he hadn't expected there.

He eventually had made a computer that was completely isolated with no way to access the larger network and had plugged the AI in. Jack had been both absolutely livid and infinitely grateful at the same time- mad because of Rhys's betrayal but thankful because, well, he hadn't killed him.

Rhys eventually had been able to have a conversation with Jack- not like there was much for the AI to do -and had eventually, after many rants and death rants on both sides, gotten Jack to understand why exactly Rhys had done what he had done.

Hell, he had basically turned into Jack's therapist after that, talking to him a LOT. The Atlas CEO hadn't expected to be able to trust Jack at all- to some extent he still didn't. But the AI had seemingly made progress and he had blackmailed a programmer into looking over the code…. With a little insurance of a bomb in the man's brain should he leak the info.

Okay, so Jack had been a bit of a bad influence, but he hadn't gotten too trigger happy- he was mostly the same Rhys he had always been. The programmer had said Jack's code did seem to indicate a change from his original encoding, though whether it was for the better or worse he was unsure. Rhys had put some faith and trust in Jack and had let him back into his head.

Jack had been touched, though extremely surprised. Rhys didn't tell the man how he felt about him- he wasn't in love with him or anything but, well, he was fond of the AI and let's be honest; Handsome Jack may have been a god-awful human being but EVERYONE on Pandora was.

After all, every "Good person"/Vault Hunter (who, mind you, were supposedly the heroes of the people of Sanctuary) was more than willing to kill bandits or pyschos whenever they reared their heads. They had just as much blood on their hands as Handsome Jack and they hadn't even been trying to unite Pandora and bring peace to it like Jack had.

They killed as many people without trial or any reason besides they'd try to kill the Vault Hunter's. How was Jack any different? Would those same bandits not attack Handsome Jack had he appeared on Pandora? Would that not grant him the same right to kill them it granted everyone else.

Rhys honestly wasn't even sure how to feel about Pandora anymore. The people didn't want democracy except when it served their purposes and places like Sanctuary were technically dictatorships (people being okay with the dictator doesn't make it less of a dictatorship). As much as he abhorred having someone else's "order" forced on him, hell, was there any other way to save the people of the planet he had killed for in order to "liberate" them?

Hell, he wasn't even in it to save people, Fiona and them had been in it for the money at first and then for the Vault. It was everyman for himself out there and as twisted as Handsome Jack was, Rhys could understand why the man was so fed up with everyone's shit.

So, because of all that, he gave Handsome Jack another chance, though he was clear it was his last chance. They had been together during the whole Gortys thing, refraining from telling the others about Jack for very, very obvious reasons. Then they had walked into the Vault of the Traveler with Fiona, opened a chest, and were transported here.

Wherever here even was.

"Okay Rhysie, looks like we've got some good news and some bad news. Good news is these people have shit security that was easier to blow open than a Psycho's ribcage!" Jack said suddenly, back from his hacking, giving Rhys a grin. "Got us access to a bunch of bank accounts that we can bounce stuff through so we never have to use our own money."

Rhys facepalmed and sighed. In Jack's defense Rhys's fabulous wealth probably would mean shit here so until he could get more they would have to use less savory methods, "That's…. that's the good news?" He asked bleakly.

Jack nodded with an even bigger grin, though the look in his eyes told Rhys he was a bit unsettled, "Alright here's the other news Pumpkin. Well, we may- not saying we are, not saying we aren't -be in another universe. Or galaxy at least. Probably galaxy, the multi-verse theory is dumb and pointless," Jack rambled as he flicked through datapads worth of info, "Cause like humans come from some place called earth here- really who names a place after dirt?"

Rhys was hyperventilating a bit- "What do you mean another galaxy?!" He said in a complete panic. How was that even possible?! I mean, it was made by an ancient civilization but STILL! The literal fuck was going on?!

"Whoa, whoa there, Rhysie, let's just, let's just calm it down a notch. Two notches? Several notches at least," Jack said, clapping his partner on the back despite the man couldn't feel it, "Look at it this way! We're in a place with ZERO enemies! No one knows who we are! We can dominate them while their metaphorical, and not so metaphorical I'm sure, pants are down!"

Ironically, it was the AI's voice that calmed Rhys the most, leaving him chuckling, "I'm sure no one wants that," He joked, a light twist in his stomach from a foreign feeling entering him.

Jack cackled manically, "Oh I can think of quite a few- hell, doesn't everyone want a piece of this?" Handsome Jack said, a smidge full of himself- okay a lot full of himself. Rhys simply rolled his eyes and started walking again, Jack following behind.

"Anyways, we're on someplace called Omega and man are we gonna stand out. Well you at least. I mean seriously, this is gonna sound pretty gay Cupcake- not like I mind, though I will not be taking it from anyone thank you – but your clothes are awful," Jack said, walking backwards without care, phasing through various aliens they passed.

"Like not that they're not fashionable or anything, you look like a rich CEO, got the hair right too- its more that this place is basically space Pandora- "He paused, reconsidering his words, "Or even spacier Pandora? I mean Pandora is technically a planet so it's already in space, but, ah, well whatever, I'm rambling! This is gonna be great!"

Rhys mouth ran dry at that statement, "Ah. So basically. This is gonna be pretty lawless." His eyes began darting around him, hands checking his pockets quickly before moving so it'd hover over his pistol as he walked, ready in case Jack needed to take over and defend them.

That was also something they had done. Jack was training Rhys but he was still mostly shit with a gun. So, the AI was given permission to commandeer the body when their life was endangered, so long as he didn't go overboard. Yes, he knew it was dangerous! God, Rhys could practically feel the protests of every person he had ever known saying that was a bad idea.

"Well they do have a leader like that fool Roland- some blue sexy alien bitch called Aria. Oh by the way there are sexy blue aliens that are exclusively female," Handsome Jack said at Rhys shocked face, giving him a grin, and wiggling his eyebrows, "And they mate with ev-ry-bo-dy," He said in a singsong voice.

Rhys rolled his eyes and kept moving as Jack cackled manically as they walked, "Well the good news is no one is going to give you a second look about your arm or cybernetics here- well not anymore than anyone would look at someone with top-of-the-line enhancements back home would," Jack smirked, "But ah, our fellow humans, hehe, well they uh, they seem to be a whole lot stupider."

The CEO turned to Jack to ask what he meant but was taken back by the other man's angry look. Rhys stared for a second before sighing, "Do I want to know Jack?"

"Oh yeah, you definitely want to know this Pumpkin- I'm just super pissed off humanity agreed to this bullshit," He ground out in rage as he reviewed the information. Rhys patiently waited for him to continue; Jack sighed, "Okay Cupcake, so humanity joined something called the "Citadel Council"- more like the Citadel Couch of Ass-Kissers, am I right? Course I am," He said plowing on, "Damn politicians. Anyways, in order to do so they had to give up the ability to create A.I.s, like myself! Amongst other concessions, but still!"

Groaning, Rhys facepalmed once again, "Meaning technically you're illegal?" This was just great, reassured a lot (note the sarcasm) especially as he was met by Jack's laughs.

"So very, very, very illegal, it's almost kind of refreshing! I mean, I didn't even have to do anything and they hate me! It's like fucking Pandora all over again!" Jack raged, shouting as he tried to strangle one of the aliens nearby. Rhys sighed.

"It's not like that Jack, not like what happened back there. No one is betraying you." Rhys said, trying to get the A.I. to be reasonable, at least a little bit so. Jack just scoffed and was about to say something when Rhys hit something, causing him to fall to the ground with a grunt.

"Oi, what the-?!" He was about to ask but stopped abruptly as he saw who exactly he had run into. The man was probably only around average height but he was wearing a rather intimidating set of armor. It was jet black save for some blue lights that light it up; it was bulky but still seemed like something someone could wear and not be too encumbered. The helmet had a visor lowered over the eyes. Rhys guessed there was some sort of heads-up display that showed his surroundings under the visor.

"Oo-hoo-hoo, looks like we have a badass here people!" Jack said, twirling around the man, looking the armor over, "At least this armor is badass. Damn, I'd totally get one if it didn't cover my amazing face," He remarked before winking out of existence so Rhys could concentrate.

"Sorry about that- here," the man extended his hand out and Rhys gratefully took it so he could get up easier, "I was talking with my squadmate; I apologize for any inconvenience. The name is Shephard, Commander Shephard." He said politely. Rhys liked this guy already.

He glanced behind him and saw a woman and man. The woman was not in armor but giving him a really creepy vibe; the other man was a veteran if the numerous scars on his face and missing eye was any indication. Interesting crowd, though he supposed it shouldn't be unexpected for a station like this. "Commander Shephard is legendary," Jack's voice whispered to him, "Maybe he has a ship we can use."

Rhys smiled- perfect, "No worries! No worries, none at all- the name is Rhys, of Atlas- well, I WAS of Atlas renown but well, if you make money expected to be robed of it all by backstabbers am I right?" The veteran behind Shepard grumbled and nodded; must've been betrayed himself. "Look, thing is, I don't have a way off here. Now if you want payment, I'm sure I can scrounge together something," He said apologetically.

He was hoping he could pull off the poor distressed rich man who had lost his wealth. Jack's approving hum made him think he was succeeding. Shepard raised his hand to stop to stop his rambling, "I'm not going to ask for any payment." The woman saddled up to Shepard and began whispering in his ear irritated. Shepard looked annoyed but nodded reluctantly, "Well maybe not on my ship, but the least I can do is help you get some form of transport off world."

"Awesome! And I do have a couple of guns, so if you need any help on anything to guarantee me getting a ride, whelp, there ya go!" He said cheerfully, glad he had some way off-world secured already. If they were on a mission that would give Jack time to finish scouring the net, or whatever they called it, to secure him an identity in this world.

Jack got his message and accessed one of the wireless terminals that offered "free" connection. He of course bypassed the pay wall and got to work. Shepard looked Rhys over with a raised eyebrow, "You don't seem the type to get your hands dirty."

Rhys laughed, crossing his arms as his weight shifted to his right foot, "Well you're not wrong, at least I'm the type who does it unless its necessarily- but well, I'm not exactly surrounded by the usual bodyguards or anything anymore, so I have to do it myself." He said with a tilt of his head. Shepard understood and seemed to respect that.

"Well, I suppose you can come with us. You're human so the pathogen shouldn't affect you, so you can survive in the quarantine zone. We're heading down to extract a Salarian who we need to talk with. You're welcome to join us," He remarked.

The CEO nodded, "Better than standing around here I suppose," Shepard smiled under his helmet and nodded in agreement.

"We just need to pick up some supplies first. You want to meet back up after that?" Rhys nodded. There wasn't much else he needed to do; he had his pistol, shotgun, and SMG on him and all the ammo he needed for now. He wasn't even sure if their ammo would work with his gun.

So they parted ways, Shepard and his team moving off to the shops, Rhys looked around for somewhere to be. He certainly couldn't go into the giant bunker/bar as he doubted he'd be let in by the bouncer, which was some weird four legged hunched over thing. Leaving Rhys lounging around in one of the nearby alleys, not much to do with Jack busy scouring the net.

"Well what do we have here? Rich guy huh," Someone's voice said as Rhys looked up, heart sinking. And here he was, trying avoid trouble. He sent out a SOS to Jack before getting up to talk to the approaching thugs.

One was a human at least. The other two, he had no idea what they were. They had four eyes and looked a bit disgusting in Rhys's opinion. _Batarians. Slavers at their heart, their whole society is like one giant gang of bandits and psychos, with the few ones who are innocent kept in place by authoritarian rule._ Jack sneered in his mind. Rhys's opinion of the species dropped completely because of that tidbit of information.

"Now now, I'm sure we can come to an agreement fellas, right? Like you guys just leave me alone yes?" Rhys said with a smile, honestly hoping not to get into a gunfight this early in their journey through this unknown galaxy. The other beings laughed, the human shaking his head.

Rhys sighed. "Listen Cupcakes, the deal isn't whether I get left alone, its whether you don't get fucked for bothering me," his voice growled out, taking a manic tone, ECHO eye flickering in color as Jack took over, "So here's the no bullshit version, Princess, you and your four eyed shits can either take your sorry asses and leave or they'll get a nice introduction to the shotgun I'm about to shove up them."

The thugs seemed a bit taken back by Jack's appearance (though they thought Rhys was simply insane), which simply served to make Jack madder, "What, never been threatened by a man in a suit before? You thought a rich man would be defenseless, you sorry little shits eh? WELL FUCK YOU TOO!" He suddenly screamed enraged.

His infinity pistol was suddenly in his left hand as his mechanical arm reached to grab the shotgun that straddled the back of his hips, "FUCK!" His first shot flew from his pistol, hitting the batarian between his four eyes, "THAT!" The other screamed as he ate a face-full of shotgun pellets.

The human had pulled out his gun and was about to fire, so Jack dropped his shotgun and let his shield take the few shots the human managed to pull off before his mechanical hand was wrapped around his throat, forcing the thug to the ground as he choked him, laughing manically as the human gave him a terrified look.

"RHYS! What the hell are you doing?!" Uh-oh. Looks like Shepard was back. Rhys tried to take back over but Jack hushed him and answered for his partner.

"I was, ah, demonstrating to the, hrm, the strapping young lad the difference between choking and," the man went limp in Jack's grip and he let a savage grin spread on his face, "Strangulation."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary** : Rhys wasn't heartless, he saw the good in Jack… and the evil in Pandora. With a (hopefully) reformed AI Jack in his head, he entered the Vault of the Traveler with Fiona. They didn't expect for it to transport them to another galaxy however. Separated from Fiona, Rhys and Jack meet our favorite newly-resurrected SPECTRE. This should be fun.

 **Note** : I'm glad everyone seems to be enjoying this little experiment! Continue your suggestions for pairings- please keep in mind my Shepard is gay so please, refrain from suggesting your favorite female for him- They're nice and all, but that's not my version of Shepard.

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Of Course It's An Angel**

* * *

Shepard wasn't exactly sure what to make of this new member of his team. The seemingly normal looking man (well, aside from the obvious wealth) not only had a robotic arm- a rarity in all honesty, and a model he had never seen before -had just throttled a thug after taking out two others with ease. It was…. Odd.

Rhys didn't fight in any consistent way. Not only did his personality seem to do a complete shift when he was fighting, even the man's voice and tone and body language changing, but his fighting style showed no discipline. It was so brutally effective Shepard almost wanted to say he was a spec ops soldier, but there was none of the discipline that accompanied such an upbringing. He could've been a mercenary at some point in his life, which would explain the free-wheeling and gung-ho fighting style he had but Rhys wasn't that old. Hell, Shepard was possibly older than him!

In short, this normally gentile man was an unknown. That set off all the alarm bells in Shepard's head, especially as he had offered him help, but in whatever the case was…. Shepard was just curious. He could practically feel Miranda barely restraining herself from interrogating the man as they walked. He glanced back, seeing the man talking to Zaeed, and noticed the odd plug-like insert in the man's head. He didn't know what he was looking at. It reminded himself too much of Saren in all honesty.

They walked through Afterlife, heading to the mercenary sign up station. There was a Batarian standing there, handling the sign-ups. Shepard glanced at his team members. He knew the Batarian likely wouldn't mind Zaeed, as the man was a hardened bounty hunter. Miranda would be a tougher sell as a women but she wouldn't care about some Batarian's bias. He looked over at Rhys and did a double take. The man had a look of barely contained hatred for the alien. Whether it was for this specific one or the race as a whole, Shepard wasn't sure yet.

His attention shifted to the Batarian again as he noticed them approach. "You here to sign up too?" The alien said, eyes shifting to his squad before grunting, "Eh, you have a woman and some weak-ass looking guy but it's your skin," he plowed on, looking back at his console as Shepard could feel Rhys's irritation rising. "Standard fee is 500 credits each. You collect when the mission is done, and if you die, your friends don't get your share."

The mercenary was obviously was just plowing through a legal checklist- interesting for a band of mercenaries, but Shepard supposed when any organization reached a certain size you had to cover your ass legally. "You'll need your own weapons and armor… looks like you've got that covered. And no. This does make you a member of the Blood Pack, Blue Suns, or Eclipse. You are a freelancer, period. Any questions?"

Shepard wasn't one to stand around asking useless questions, not when Archangel's safety was in question. Though he was interested in questioning the mercenary about their plans so he could arrange his squad's tactics accordingly, "What do we do once we're there? How do we get to Archangel?"

The mercenary sighed, obviously just wanting them to be out of his hair, "The mercs will tell you once you get there. Last I heard, they were putting freelancers into scouting groups, trying to distract Archangel while we try to get past his defenses," The merc commented, rubbing his arm against his forehead.

Shepard was not entirely pleased with that answer, but it was Rhys who beat him to the punch, "So what, we're just, just fodder? Targets for him to fill with lead at his leisure?" He said hotly.

The Blue Sun Trooper practically rolled his eyes, or whatever the Batarian equivalent was, "If you don't like it, don't sign up for it. If you do your job right however, its easy credits. Besides," the mercenary said, a bit amused at this point, "What's the odds he can kill all of you?"

Shepard interrupted before Rhys could angrily retort, "Where is this happening at?" He said, having to play diplomat once again, though having to do it in a situation like this was certainly new to him. The Traverse region was already proving much different.

"In Archangel's base of operations. He's been hiding out right under our noses," The Blue Sun trooper said, obviously annoyed a bit by the fact that their greatest enemy had been hiding underneath them the whole time. Shepard could understand that feeling, "We can't tell you exactly where," that made Miranda shift annoyed behind him, "but we'll get you there."

The Spectre nodded in acceptance. If this base was near their own holdings, it made sense to be cautious. "Where do we go?" Shepard asked as he rolled his shoulders.

"The transit depot just outside the club," the batarian said, gesturing, "Our boys will take you from there." He looked back down at his console, "Send in the next one."

Their group turned to exit, the doors opening as they walked through them. A young man walked into the room, obviously intent on signing up to do the job as well. Shepard's gut clenched as the man's "baby-face", unmarred by the physical or psychological trauma of fighting, passed his sight. He flashed back to the slave raid on Elysium, civilians fighting desperately for survival and the raid that killed his parents and boyfriend on Mindoir.

Maybe it was irrational, but he turned to the passing young man and called out, "You seem a bit young to be a freelancer and merc."

The young man didn't turn around, body stiff, "I'm old enough. I grew up on Omega, I know how to use a gun." The Batarian was now looking on in interest as the man turned around a bit defensive. His squad all looked at the man with raised eyebrows, "Besides, I just spent 50 credits on this new pistol and I can't wait to try it!"

Shepard's stomach dropped. 50 credits? Good pistols could cost thousands of credits, and even the most basic and bare bones one should be hundreds, not 50. He got close to the younger man, "Do yourself a favor; get a refund." He pulled it from the protesting man, found the weak point in the gun's design and easily broke it before handing it back, "Trust me, you'll thank me later."

As they turned to leave, Shepard caught Rhys's eye and was surprised to see the approval and respect in the man's eyes. Apparently, his actions had won some points in the man's book. That in turn made Shepard respect and trust the mysterious and bipolar man a little bit more.

* * *

 _Man, you're such a fucking sap Rhysie,_ Jack laughed in his head as Rhys rode in the car with the rest of the squad. _I mean, why not let that kid join in the fun? He lives in this shithole, at least he'd get to go out in a blaze of glory facing me_ , the AI boasted.

Rhys rolled his eyes and mentally shook his head, "We both know why I don't just kill every random person I come across," he muttered, just low enough that none of the other occupants in the transport would hear him.

 _Bah, you're no fun Cupcake. Oh well, by the way, you wanna learn to fight? I mean, I know you always refused and were super pampered but well,_ the AI said as he phased into Rhys's vision, sitting on Shepard's lap, arm slung around the Spectre's shoulder. It was a rather amusing sight. _We got Mister War Hero here who's gonna figure out something soon and she,_ he said pointing to Miranda, _that bitch is fucking scary. Like seriously, I'm insane and she worries me._

The CEO didn't disagree with Jack's assessment however. He already looked rather... unique with his mechanical parts, and his personality changes only made that issue that much worse. Sooner or later someone was going to figure out something was up. Rhys felt like he might be able to trust Shepard, but he was far from trusting the cold and aloof Miranda.

"I'll consider it," Rhys relented much to Jack's happiness, causing the AI to grin widely and childishly. They landed and the doors opened and they all got out of the car, Rhys stretching his legs as they did so.

Another one of those accursed batarians showed up and began running his mouth, "It's about time they sent me someone who looks like they can fight," the alien said with a satisfied tone, "They tell you what we're up against?"

Shepard inclined his head, "The recruiter was a little vague," as Rhys and Jack mentally sighed together. They both had gotten really tired of the needless and pointless bullshit that was briefings. Like how many times did you need to be told the same damn thing, just in different ways?! Rhys was suitably interested in Archangel's encampment. It sounded like the guy had picked the best place he could for this type of situation. Jack approved at the very least.

Rhys tried to pay attention to what the alien was saying- Archangel had collapsed tunnels, they had a gunship, yadda yadda -but Jack's image kept making faces and amusing himself by trying to make Rhys laugh at something no one else could see. It was a childish habit the AI had picked up after being cooped up for so long.

"Alright, so we have a way in, but a way out could be a bit more difficult," Zaeed muttered to Shepard, drawing Rhys away from Jack.

Shepard cracked his neck, "Let's find him at first. We'll worry about whatever comes after that later."

As they walked up the stairs, Rhys started as a synthetic sounding voice came over the comms and said, "Shepard, I've scanned the plans but I cannot find another path to Archangel."

"Guess we're going with the mercs then," Shepard muttered as Miranda looked at Rhys, a bit horrified.

"Shepard, did EDI add Rhys to our comms?!" The Spectre paused in his walk before continuing with a sigh and a laugh. Miranda was not amused as Jack walked behind her snickering, muttering some insult about her being a bitch or uptight.

Rhys wasn't sure how to react to the situation as the voice continued, "The heavy mechs and gunship have considerable firepower. Weakening before leaving would considerably improve your chances."

Shepard lead them into a room with Blue Suns mercs. They didn't pay much attention to them, swiftly moving past them. Zaeed certainly seemed hostile to them so it was probably in their best interest to do so. Rhys didn't miss Shepard swiping a datapad, Jack's approval at his better observational skills resonating in his brain.

They left that room and walked out into another room, this one with a large mech in it. They all looked at it, "We need to take this thing out," Shepard muttered, looking at the thing in concern, "Anyone know how to hack?" Zaeed laughed and shook his head. Miranda shrugged and was about to say something but Rhys stepped forward.

"I'm sure I can take care of this," He said, nodding to Shepard.

"Alright, I'll trust you Rhys." The Spectre let him do his work, or rather Jack do his work, as Miranda looked once again annoyed by Rhys's presence.

 _Ooooooooooooo now for some fun!_ Jack cackled, rubbing his hands together, _Now, I'm gonna ask for you to bend over Mr. Roboto_ , He joked, miming putting on a glove as he extended his code and entered the YMIR mech. Despite the mech being made for combat, its security protocols were not difficult for the ex-programmer to decipher and destroy.

Jack started cackling as he exited the mech's code, making Rhys suddenly very, very worried. "Jack, what did you do?" He whispered as quietly as he could, the others waiting to know if they were successful.

 _Oh, I just added a little surprise for our dear friends when they deploy it onto the battlefield_. Jack said gleefully. _It'll turn on them when they deployed it. Oh, and I may have used that dumbass CLAPTRAP bot's personality as a template_ , Jack said, way too proud of himself. Rhys groaned but was… honestly a bit eager to see how these mercs would react to a CLAPTRAP.

"I reconfigured the mech- it'll attack the mercs when they deploy it." Rhys said turning to Shepard, who he found hacking into the safes in the room. He raised an eyebrow and the man shrugged.

"We have limited funds and honestly, our mission is more important than whatever these mercs need it for. It's a small justice," He said casually causing Rhys to crack a smile, especially since he felt Jack following Shepard's hack and burrowing deeper, pulling whatever money Shepard had missed into his own accounts.

"Anyone have any ideas on what the merc's plan of attack is?" Rhys asked as Jack returned and they turned to leave the room. It was best to discuss this while they were in a room devoid of mercs.

Shepard paused, head tilting to side, "Well no one particularly likes or respects the Blood Pack. Fears, yes- they're made almost entirely of krogan and vorcha so most likely they're going to go last. If the first wave is successful, they likely don't want to give the Blood Pack any bragging rights."

Miranda nodded approvingly, "I wouldn't either in their position. According to our sources, the Blood Pack's vorcha are already attempting to take control of the infected areas of Omega from the Blue Suns."

"The Blue Suns will go first," Zaeed said confidently. Everyone looked at him, "They're the only group with the discipline to pull of this strike-team of theirs. The gunship was also theirs someone said. Speaking of, we should probably find that thing soon," He suggested, "Don't want for the assault to start and them be able to use it."

Rhys nodded his agreement and the squad made it way down the hallway, ignoring the Blood Pack's headquarters. Jack was amused by the way Shepard kept hacking whatever he came across, _I like the way this guy thinks! Loot the bandits, am I right? Who gives a damn about them anyways!_ Jack said as he followed behind Shepard, able to worm his way into the devices far better than any organic could.

 _I've got personal details, bank accounts, drug stash locations, man, you'd think people would realize that anything digital can be hacked_ , Jack snarked as they walked, Shepard working his way into a locked room, grabbing weapon upgrades and more resources, _I am absolutely wondering what mission these guys are on that allows for this type of thing. Most militaries aren't gung-ho about doing stuff like this_.

Rhys considered this carefully; Shepard certainly seemed like a military man, but Zaeed was a bounty hunter, hired by whoever the others work for. There seemed to be a level of distrust between Miranda and Shepard that he wasn't sure what to make of. She was obviously more by-the-book, but she didn't seem like military- or at least her uniform didn't, while Shepard's definitely did. It was an interesting quandary he'd have to address later at some point.

One of the freelancers eventually directed them to where Cathka was. His assistant waved him over to where the batarian was. The armored merc began chatting with Shepard, cigarette in hand, the Spectre grilling him for information so they could know what the attack plan was. Rhys was instead looking over the tools that were laid around, Jack examining the data about the dropship. _Huh, looks like it ain't quite done yet, thing got beat up and is at only about half its strength,_ the AI commented.

They were jolted out of their examination as a freelancer's voice came over the comms, "Target is in our sights, we're go for the assault."

Cathka's attention slipped over to the console and he shouldered his way past Rhys, "Check, Bravo team, go, go, go!"

The nearby mercs all began moving out, obviously part of the infiltration team. "Archangel is going to have quite the surprise waiting for him- but that means no more waiting for me," Rhys realized they'd have to move soon, and they had no way to sabotage the ship- but if they could stop Cathka… he grabbed a tool of the table and passed it over to Shepard.

Shepard took it with surprise, but when they locked eyes, an understanding passed between them. Cathka needed to be removed from the equation, "Gotta have it at one hundred percent in case Tarak needs here a-ARGH!" Cathka cried out as he was knocked out by Shepard, falling face-first in the shuttle. Rhys's respect for the soldier kept going up- sure, Rhys was averse to cold-hearted acts, but war was war. Sometimes you had to have the stomach for unsavory actions to win.

* * *

As they vaulted over the wall, Shepard cracked his knuckles in anticipation. Miranda looked at the group of mercs, one of them sporting a large grenade launcher. "Looks like Archangel doesn't have long left Shepard."

"Well, let's give these mercs a surprise of our own," He said confidently, pulling out his weapons. The rest of his team did the same, Rhys's suddenly insane sounding laughter cackling behind. He really needed to figure out what was up with his teammate.

* * *

 **Note:** I'm sorry I'm not continuing any farther this chapter! This mission is about 40 minutes long at a minimum and I'm only about halfway through it! Next chapter will finish up this mission in an explosion of blood and Jack-tinged laughter. Also, your reviews and comments have been very helpful, so please, keep leaving them! I love them all! Seeya next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary** : Rhys wasn't heartless, he saw the good in Jack… and the evil in Pandora. With a (hopefully) reformed AI Jack in his head, he entered the Vault of the Traveler with Fiona. They didn't expect for it to transport them to another galaxy however. Separated from Fiona, Rhys and Jack meet our favorite newly-resurrected SPECTRE. This should be fun.

 **A/N:** So, given as all the ME characters will be using their actual abilities, I realized that Rhys needs to have his abilities defined. So my question is should I use ME2's ability tree or should we use the more extensive Borderlands 2 skill tree? While the Borderlands 2 trees allowed for more potentially gamebreaking skills and more fun (which allowed enemies to be made much tougher in turn, making better challenges), they also were meant for characters that would make it level 72 and were as a result much more extensive, especially as leveling them up only took 1 point for each skill. Meanwhile, ME2 only went to level 30 and even though it gave 50-odd points, you needed much more to level up skills.

So the question is do I have Rhys follow Borderlands rules as that's where he came from or do I use ME rules since that's where he is. Since Tales From The Borderlands doesn't have a skill tree I also don't have any idea for Rhys and how to make skills. Currently, his "action skill" of sorts would be Jack taking over. If we went with that I could technically have maybe three trees, a Jack (giving Jack greater control or upgrading his cyber parts) tree, Marksman tree (better with guns and using his ECHO eye) and a Playboy (one that focuses on using wealth and charm) tree.

Anyways, just my musing and I don't have a solid idea. I eagerly await everyone's suggestions!

(This chapter is brought to you by me replaying ME2 and my muse being reignited for the series)

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Of Course Its A Friend**

* * *

Shepard pulled out his shotgun as his team got their weapons ready. There were three freelancers outside the building, two shielded, one unshielded. Gathering his biotic energy, he Charged the unshielded one, elbow bashing into the freelancer. He leveled his shotgun at the off-balanced merc and pumped his head with lead.

The report of Miranda's heavy pistol and Zaeed's rifle sounded off as they focused on one of the shielded freelancers, whittling down the man's shields. "Firing Concussive Shot!" Yelled Zaeed as the shields flickered and died. The man was knocked over, giving Miranda ample opportunity to blast his head off.

"They're with Archangel!" Screamed the last freelancer as Rhys ran at him, his own shields absorbing the enemy fire as the man vaulted over a barrier, shotgun in his prosthetic arm. The freelancer panicked as Rhys got on top of him, viciously kicking the man's relatively unprotected leg. The merc cried out in pain before his head was blown off by the shotgun.

Shepard took note of the body count; three down, at least six more to go. He ran up to the door, Rhys taking shelter besides the other side of the door as Zaeed and Miranda watched their backs. He looked over at Rhys, still a bit taken back by the vicious look and feral grin on the man's face. "You're a close range fighter right? Flank them and get in close, we'll keep their attention on this entrance."

"Sure thing cupcake- one minute and they'll be meeting with the business end of my boomstick," Rhys said. Shepard nodded, a bit confused by the 'cupcake' comment, and gazed into the room, using his assault rifle to set off one of the bombs lying around.

"Go, go, go!" Shepard rushed forward past a fallen merc killed by the bomb- 5 left. He Crouched behind the couch, Zaeed hiding behind a pillar and Miranda joining him. Miranda fired an Overload at one of the shielded enemies, allowing Shepard to Pull him. Zaeed and Miranda began gunning him down as Shepard began working on the next one. 4 left.

A scream tore from the right as one of the mercs' chests was blown apart by Rhys's shotgun. The man rushed the last freelancer in the room, who Shepard kept down with supressive fire. Another shot later and there should be only 2 mercs left.

Throaty laughter was heard as a krogan worked its way to them, cocking its shotgun menacingly. "Fire!" Shepard shouted, Rhys ducking as the other three began showering the krogan. Under the sustained fire the krogan was felled, only able to get a few potshots off.

"Hey asshole, try to avoid blowing my head off, you got me?" Rhys yelled at them as he began ascending the stairs. Shepard sheepishly yelled out a hasty apology- he was unused to having three other members in his squad, usually it was just two. That was how N7 Commandos were trained anyways. Damn, being dead had made him rustier than he had thought if something this simple was throwing him off.

Miranda walked with Shepard as they began to ascend the stairs as well, keeping an eye out for any possible enemies approaching from behind, "I don't know how to feel about Rhys, Shepard, but I'm concerned. The man is terrifyingly effective for someone with no disciplined fighting style, or knowledge of how to fight. He's like a human krogan when it comes to fighting, complete with the battle-lust."

Zaeed snorted, "That's how you stay alive when you're on your own- you do whatever it takes." The mercenary said and Shepard couldn't help but agree with him; he did understand what Miranda's concern was however. Rhys was almost too good for the seemingly naïve CEO he usually was.

He mentioned this and Zaeed grunted, "This is Omega, and the Terminus systems- everyone has their secrets Shepard. The sooner you learn that, the faster you'll survive." They walked up as Rhys shot the last merc in the head.

"Well that wasn't too bad was it?" He said cheerfully, before turning to the console and getting the door open, "Let's meet us an Angel eh?"

* * *

Rhys shuddered a little as he was thrust back into control of his body. There was something amazing to not be in control of his body and see it move and flow like clockwork- well, if the clock had no damn idea what it was going to move to next. The only thought in Jack's mind when he was in charge was what was the quickest and most sadistic way to dispose of the enemy.

Having lived on Pandora for a little while, he understood where that desire came from. The faster you took down your foes, the more likely you were to survive on Pandora. The meaner you did it, the more people feared you and thus the less people you actually had to fight. Meaning that there were less chances of you dying.

Still, suddenly finding himself back in charge on the backend of an adrenaline rush was always a shocker of sorts. Suddenly finding all the flight or flight hormones invading your system, giving you an unbridled rush of a man trying to survive.

Rhys roused himself as they entered the room, Shepard calling out to the sniper who was at the window. The man raised a hand to gesture for quiet and they all slowed to a stop, holstering their guns. After a second the sniper fired, and a loud squelch of a headshot could be faintly heard. The man had a direct hit.

Archangel picked up his rifle as Shepard began to move towards him, sitting on a crate as he removed his helmet. To Rhys's surprise it was a turian- though he supposed the legs should've been a dead giveaway. The sniper responded with a fond but pained smile, "Shepard. I thought you were dead."

Shepard on the other hand was ecstatic, Rhys noticed with a small smile himself. Shepard was a good man who seemed to have a lot on his plate, so he was happy the man was being reunited with what appeared to be an old friend. Though he was curious about the story that would leave Shepard presumed dead, "Garrus! What are you doing here?"

The now-identified Garrus chuckled, a low throaty noise, "Oh you know, just keeping my skills sharp, doing just a little," He cracked his neck, "target practice." Rhys was silently relieved to see the man had a sense of humor. It was always a good sign- unless it was as… over the top as, say, Jack's was.

 _I resent that Pumpkin_ , Jack chuckled in the back of his head. Rhys rolled his eyes as Shepard asked how Garrus was doing, _Come on, this guy is just so sad! Well I mean, I can respect that dry humor, but you know, that just ain't me, right cupcake? I ain't one for subtlety unless its absolutely necessary. Like right now,_ Jack said offhandedly. Which Rhys had to disagree with as Jack seemed to know shit all about being subtle. Miranda was giving him a LOT of suspicious glances.

Not that he minded her being interested of course; while he had a thing for Fiona's sister, well, he hadn't made a move as he was still worried about staying alive. Fiona would've skinned him alive if he had said anything, given how bad their relations were at many points throughout their whole advaenture. Of course she likely would've given her blessing by the end of the whole thing, but still… Jack was still pretty shy and socially awkward.

Now that he was in a whole new galaxy… well it was unlikely he'd see Sasha again to say the least. So, regretfully, he was already forcing himself to bury his thoughts of her and move on as it seemed unlikely they'd find an easy way back as this galaxy had never heard of vaults. He was suddenly glad he hadn't made a move if he was going to vanish like this. New galaxy though, so the silver lining was new opportunities- he wouldn't be paying any prostitutes a visit of course, as he was a hopeless romantic and needed a steady relationship… much like Jack was now that he thought about it.

So when he looked at Miranda, he allowed his mind to wander a bit. She wasn't anything like Sasha, who had a down-to-earth beauty. Miranda was other-worldly despite looking human. Whatever that quality that captured his imagination was subtle enough that it eluded him. Maybe it was the way she moved- the only real experience he had with soldiers were Bandits (who were insane), Jack (who was equally insane), and Vault Hunters (Who were basically lawless mercs). Miranda moved in a way that was free-flowing, not stiff. Despite that, it was all exact. Every movement ended exactly where she meant it to. Something about her just felt…. Different.

He tore his mind back to the conversation to hear Garrus's response, "Been better, but it sure is good to see a friendly face. Killing mercs is hard work. Especially on my own." The turian said with a grimace. The alien was obviously tired from all the fighting.

Shepard nodded, "Why are you out here on Omega anyways?" The Turian looked up with a sigh.

"Got tired of all the red-tape back in C-Sec. Figured I could do more good faster out here. I mean," the turian said as the rest of the squad's attention began to wane, "I didn't really have to look for criminal's out here. All I have to do is point my gun and shoot."

The commander chuckled but noticed the fact that they were having a personal talk during the middle of a siege. He coughed, "Yeah, real fast, how the hell did you manage to piss off every mercenary band in Omega?" It was a question honestly everyone was wondering.

Garrus laughed a throaty, hollow laugh, "It was hard, I really had to work at it," he said, glancing over his shoulder, "I'm surprised they all teamed up to kill me," He said, a note of honest surprise twinging the statement, "They must really hate me."

That made Rhys chuckle a bit, causing Garrus's eyes to flicker over the rest of the squad, "Care to introduce me before we fight to the death together?" Shepard nodded and began gesturing to each of his teammates.

"Miranda, liason between me and Cerberus," Shepard started, waving a hand at Miranda, which caused some sort of look to pass between Garrus and him, "They're the reason I'm alive Garrus. I'm working with them, and from what I hear, they're one of the few groups willing to pick up where we left off."

Okay, Rhys was really curious as to what the hell was going on. Shepard was definitely ex-military so what operation was he referring to- one that would include Garrus at that? The turian- alien as it was -was not military at the very least. Garrus gave off more the air of private security, too laid back. No wait, no no, not private, public sector. The man had referenced red tape, something usually only used in reference to government related work and killing mercs. If he had been a mercenary himself, Rhys doubted Garrus would be so distant when he referred to the foes keeping them detained in here.

 _Seems like this whole question of what the hell Mr Sheppy here is up to keeps popping up_ , Jack mumbled and stretched out his mental hologram on one of the couches Garrus had in his hideout, _Let me look into this while you deal with all this talking. I get the feeling we'll find out eventually, but I like to get my info from as many people as possible._ Jacks said as he began browsing a holographic datapad, though really he had no need to. Jack still felt human and liked to make his projections reflect that, despite being a carefully programmed AI- then again, that was rather the point of making an AI replacement of yourself wasn't it?

Shepard was moving on with introductions, "This is Zaeed Massani, bounty hunter and hired hand. Again, Cerberus founds helped secure his contract. That is Rhys," Shepard's hand was now gesturing to him, so he waved at the alien cheerfully , causing Garrus to give him the Turian equivalent of a raised eyebrow but returned the gesture with a friendly nod, "Rich CEO that got stabbed in the back and left here. He offered to help us out if we could help him get off world."

"An eclectic team- then again, I suppose I shouldn't haven't expected anything different from you eh Sheppard?" Garrus said as he got up again, "I assume you know how hard it'll be to escape. That bridge has saved me by funneling all these witless idiots into my scope but it'll do the same to us if we try to escape before weakening them."

Miranda seemed a bit miffed with that comment, "So we just sit here and wait for them to take us out?" Garrus laughed as he began setting up his sniper perch again.

"It's not all bad. This spot has held them off so far and with the five of us, we should be able to hold them off for a long time. I suggest we hold here, wait for them to slip, and then take our chances." Rhys gripped his gun a bit harder at that. He really was not a fan of this plan but there really didn't seem to be a better option.

Shepard nodded, "We'll work together. They won't be able to get past us." He said, agreeing with Garrus's logic.

The turian nodded with his own smirk and looked back down his scope, "Let's see what they're up to."

Shepard pulled out his gun as he joined Garrus, the two looking down their scopes together. Rhys twiddled his thumbs a bit until Jack hopped back in for a moment, _So yeah, I'm totally not freaking out, nuh-uh, no sir._ Jack was rambling; that was not a good sign. _Right so, apparently there's a race of AI out there that trying to take over the galactic couch a couple years ago. Shepard led the charge to force them back, killing their leader. But, here's the thing pumpkin, that whole alien AI thing? Yeah, that was just the tip of the iceberg._

Rhys intended to ask what exactly Jack was saying when a gunshot went off form Shepard's sniper rifle, the man standing up with a satisfied smirk, "Well that's one less then." Rhys and the others glanced over the balcony and saw the light mechs and men preparing.

"They're going to attack in a second," Shepard said as Garrus nodded in agreement, putting his helmet back on. He turned to the others, "Alright, here's the plan; Miranda and Rhys, head to the stairs. Stick at the top, it'll give you cover and easy shots at anyone who is able to make it past us." He said, Rhys nodding in understanding. Shepard continued, "Zaeed, we'll stay in here, helping Garrus take them out before they reach the building."

"They're moving Shepard!" Garrus warned, aiming down his scope. Shepard and Zaeed hurried over to the window as Rhys cracked his neck as Jack took back over, turning to Miranda.

"How's about we have ourselves a little fun, eh pumpkin?"

* * *

The fight had gone well. It was almost unnecessary to have Miranda and Rhys at the stairs together- the combined firepower of Garrus, Shepard and Zaeed kept almost any of the mechs from reaching them. Rhys was nursing his ego after Jack had to some extent made a fool of himself to her. Okay, not really, but Rhys saw the looks she gave him when he was "unprofessional" when Jack took over.

"Well that wasn't too bad," He muttered as he took a second to settle down and checked his ammo. Luckily his infinity pistol would in essence never run out of bullets, his shotgun was another matter. He had used maybe 10 shots at most so that left him with over 200 shots left. Plenty of ammo, but he would run out at some point, and depending on how long it was until he got back to his universe- if he could -he'd have to rely on the guns of this world. Rhys was fairly sure the little red cartridges his companions picked up were magazines.

 _Heat sinks pumpkin, keeps their guns from overheating._ Jack said, _Not inefficient, well, these portable and interchangeable ones aren't. We could get shotgun shells made, they'd have be custom though_. He mused. Rhys hummed in acknowledgment.

He whispered under his breath, knowing Jack would pick it up, "I'm assuming you've been working on securing me an identity when we haven't been fighting. How has that been going?"

Jack chuckled, _Don't worry your pretty little head, I'm going to have everything all set up for you Cupcake. As well as a fairly decent bank account. Let's focus on these guys for now._ He gently reminded Rhys and the man nodded, standing up as Shepard began talking about the enemy mercs bringing out the heavy mech.

Garrus tensed up as Shepard smirked, ready to see the mech fight for him instead of against him for once. "Don't worry Garrus, Rhys got this one on our side."

"Directive one: Protect Shepard! Directive two: Obey Rhys at all costs. Directive three: DANCE!" Shepard's smirk dropped as the thing began talking- why the hell was it so chipper?!

Rhys could hear Jack groan in his head, _Never did get that damn dance protocol out of its head_. Rhys could hear Jack hit some buttons and the mech shuddered, "Re-Booting sequence complete. Hello! I am your new steward bot! Designation: 1D10T-TRP, Reprogrammed mech, Class F-U. Ha ha ha!" Rhys and Jack were barely holding back their laughter- well Rhys was, Jack was rolling around cackling.

"FALL BEFORE YOUR ROBOT OVERLORD!" Idiot-Trap screamed out with its speakers, firing at the surrounding mercs that had just been standing around looking at it, incredibly confused.

Rhys noticed Shepard giving him a shocked look and Rhys sheepishly grinned, "I had an idiot r-er, VI I worked with back in the day. Just gave this mech his personality," He said lightly, making sure to not to let onto the idea of AI. This mech wasn't but he didn't want any suspicion poking up.

"Well," Shepard said slowly, as explosions came from outside.

"Step right up, to the Bulletnator 9000!" could be heard screamed loudily over the chaos.

"He's certainly effective despite the personality change," The leader of their group admitted as Idiot-Trap ripped through the mercs as Garrus helped pick some of them off.

Eventually, with a final cry, the mech let out a cry as it exploded, the mercs cheering as they finished off the incredibly annoying mech- only to be pelted by a flurry of bullets as Zaeed, Shepard and Garrus all unleashing their weapons on the men below.

Garrus paused, "Is that Jaroth?" Concentrated fire from Zaeed and Shepard basted him apart in a second, "….Well that WAS Jaroth," Garrus laughed as they cleaned up the last of the enemies. Alarms began going off almost immediately. He checked his omni-tool cursing, "They're breaching the lower level doors. Well they had to use their brains eventually," He muttered as Shepard and Miranda exchanged a look.

"We'll get those doors. Zaeed, stay here with Garrus, it'll be no good if they use this distraction to get past us," Shepard ordered as he got his weapons ready. Rhys checked his stuff over , figuring he was going to be sent out to attack the doors and secure them.

Garrus smiled gratefully at Shepard, "Thank you Shepard."

Shepard grinned back at the turian, "Always gotta make sure friends make it out alive eh?" He laughed before turning to Rhys and Miranda, "Rhys, Miranda, take the first corridor and door. Secure it. I'm heading on to the second one, and work on that one. Whoever finishes first will assist the other team. Let's move people!" He barked out as they ran, alarms blaring behind them.

* * *

"So, another vault." He muttered, looking at the entrance with a frown. He looked back at Zer0 with a raised eyebrow, "And you didn't tell anyone?" The commando sighed, rubbing his face in irritation. Most of the others were gone too, for various reasons, so they were the only two left right now on standby. Just his luck.

"What this was to be, Unsure if help was needed," Zer0 said in his usual way, spouting off another damned haiku, "Called in backup now." He said, moving towards the Vault cautiously.

Axton sighed but followed, checking his guns, "Hmph, well, guess I gotta ask- the young ladies over there alright?" Referring to the wannabe-'Vault Hunters' that were celebrating their victory. If he knew anything about Vaults though, they'd have to wait to celebrate.

Zer0 was silent as he had already moved on ahead, entering the Vault. Axton followed, astounded by what he saw. The last two had been prisons of a sort, or so they thought at the moment, so they had assumed all of them were but this…. This was far different. Maybe the eridians had left more around then just giant alien monstrosities for them to deal with.

"Any idea what exactly this does Zer0?" He asked cautiously, keeping his gun raised as he swept his vision over the chamber they were in , checking to make sure it wasn't in fact a eridian prison and this one's occupant wasn't just smarter than the rest of them. As usual, he got very little response from the enigmatic vault hunter that stood next to him. His eyes settled on the glowing stone-altar thing at the top of the stairs.

There was no sign of the other tow that had entered before them. Zer0 was climbing up towards the top of the stairs to examine the stone and Axton followed behind hesitantly. He didn't trust eridian vaults after the last two they'd (not themselves personally but vault hunters in general) had tried to kill them in decidedly…. Over-the-top ways.

He and Zer0 stared at the altar thing and Zer0 spoke up "I believe that we, must activate the altar, to move forward here." Axton wasn't happy with doing that but he was in the same boat as Zero. It seemed like there wasn't anything else to interact with in th e entirety of the vault and the only way to find out its secrets and find their two missing amateur vault hunters was to press onwards and activate the suspicious looking altar.

"Well, here goes nothing."

* * *

 **A/N:** OKAY! So sorry we're still in the first mission, just everytime I went back over a draft of the chapter I kept expanding it and I hit 4k words and realized it'd probably be easier to simply break it up and have the aftermath in the next chapter. Axton and Zer0 will join our heroes in the series! Now, Zer0 and Fiona for now will not have major parts in the series. Zer0 by nature and Fiona by nature of where she ended up. However, I have decided that Rhys wont be joining Shepard as a) he has too much self-preservation to be on a suicide mission and b) Fiona is still out there and he needs to find her. It doesn't make sense to agree to a suicide mission.

That said, Axton likely will join Shepard. I'm leaning towards Shepard x Axton; I'd considered Shepard x garrus but I always played the two as bros and frankly, I find there arent enough of those types of relationships in video games (that are actually good imo). But Yes, there IS slash because my shep is gay. However, Rhys and Jack, though they certainly give off gay undertones, likely wont end up together and instead get together with some ME characters simply because that even if they do like each other, there's too much bad blood between the two. Trust me, you can have enough shit with a person for them to be unattractive romantically even if you become friends again (speaking with experience concerning one of my exes).

Anyways, hope you enjoyed and please review!


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